Just to keep folk up to date.

I’ve not added anything lately because it’s just been more of the same.

The rear wheel rim has had its centre rubbed down and  painted, same as was done for the front and has been at the wheelbuilder, I just got it back yesterday, so tomorrow I’ll order up a pair of tyres, tubes and rim-tapes for the old lady, then comes the fun of fitting the tyres and once that’s done I’ll have a rolling chassis to work on.

That’s going to push me into getting the mechanicals finished and fitted and will be when I begin to find out what’s been misplaced over the years she’s been standing.

With the motor I’ve got the new piston rings gapped and the barrel has been cleaned externally with wire brushes

Donkey work was with a simple “scratch” wire brush that cleaned the barrel-base and down to its wall between the fins.

To clean the fins themselves I used a 1/4 inch diameter tube-brush, think of a bottle-brush but with wire bristles. These are available in a number of sizes, with either steel- or brass-wire bristles.

I got mine through Cromwell Tools who have branches around the UK, I usually just go down to the local branch but for these brushes I had to put them on order and I got them the next day but they also have a web presence and web shop,  The “Savers” in their “Interactive e-Brochures” is usually worth a look at and is updated monthly.

Once I had the barrel clean it was swabbed with white spirit to clean off any grease and then dried and put into the oven on low heat for 10 minutes.

It was then taken out and sprayed over with black “Smoothrite” and then put back into the oven for another 10 minutes before being given another coat.

Result is a satin gloss finish on the barrel and all it needs now is the glaze on the insidew of the bore “breaking” before it is fitted onto the piston and new rings.

As the cylinder head is also cast iron it’s now on the list for the same treatment.